Remembering the old, welcoming the new

Ready For 2010?

But if you plan to hit the roads tonight, be careful. The holiday is a deadly time, too.

Here are some facts you need to know to stay safe:

Know your limit

Local law-enforcement agencies will participate in "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." The nationwide campaign lasts through Sunday.

Although it's known as "amateur night" when it comes to alcohol and driving, New Year's Eve and the entire weekend are a very dangerous time for motorists, law officers say.

The four-day period surrounding New Year's Day 2008, for example, had the highest fatality rate per hour (0.44) of any holiday that year in Florida, Highway Patrol statistics show. Forty-two people died on state roads, and 26 of those were attributed to alcohol.

The number has been increasing at least since 2004, when there were 25 New Year's fatalities, including 11 related to alcohol.

Aside from the reality that you may kill someone, including yourself, you will be subject to arrest, incarceration and the loss of your drivers license. It's not worth the risk.

"Remember, if you are over the limit [0.08], you are under arrest," said Col. John Czernis, the Highway Patrol director.

Cops advise partiers to:

Designate a nondrinking driver in advance.

Offer nonalcoholic drinks to guests and make sure everyone leaves with a sober driver.

Dial *FHP (*347) on cell phones to report an impaired driver to the Highway Patrol.

Don't shoot

Don't start the year with a bang. Law enforcement is warning Central Floridians that firing a celebratory gunshot to welcome 2010 is illegal -- and can be deadly.

A bullet can climb 2 miles and reach a speed of up to 700 feet per second on the way down. A velocity of 200 feet per second is enough to penetrate a human skull, authorities say.

"The round when it goes up has to come down, and you have no idea where it's going to come down," Orlando police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones said.

In recent years, several people have been hurt or killed in Central Florida when they or people around them discharged firearms in the air on New Year's Eve. Five years ago, a 75-year-old man was killed when a bullet fired from an assault rifle more than a mile away hit him in the chest near downtown Orlando. On Jan. 1, 2006, a west Orange woman was shot in the eye after she went outside her home -- with her 7-month-old baby in her arms -- to watch fireworks.

"I can't think of anything more dangerous to do than fire a firearm in the air indiscriminately in an urban environment," Orange sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. "The danger increases exponentially when there's a good possibility that alcohol is going to be involved."

Expect rain

The National Weather Service in Melbourne predicts a 20 percent chance of rain this afternoon. Temperatures are expected to peak at 76 and dip to 59 tonight. The chance of rain rises to 50 percent tonight.

New Year's Day also is likely to be rainy, with a 50 percent chance of showers in the morning. Look for highs in the high 60s and lows in the low 40s. It's expected to get breezy Friday afternoon, and gusts could reach 30 mph, a weather-service meteorologist said. Nighttime skies are expected to be clear.

Temperatures in Orlando are predicted to remain below normal through next Wednesday, with no more rain in the forecast. Look for the mercury to rise into the 60s during the weekend and drop as low as the upper 30s Saturday night. By Tuesday night, expect to feel near-freezing conditions.